Hornets upset the Magic 97-94 at Amway Center

CaptionOrlando Magic vs. New Orleans Hornets

Stephen M. Dowell

With seconds remaining in the game, the Orlando Magic's J.J. Redick (7) is stopped by the New Orleans Hornets' Ryan Anderson (33) and Dominic McGuire (5) at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday, December 26, 2012. New Orleans won, 97-94.

With seconds remaining in the game, the Orlando Magic's J.J. Redick (7) is stopped by the New Orleans Hornets' Ryan Anderson (33) and Dominic McGuire (5) at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday, December 26, 2012. New Orleans won, 97-94. (Stephen M. Dowell)

Orlando forward Josh McRoberts makes a fancy behind-the-head pass during the New Orleans Hornets at Orlando Magic NBA game at the Amway Center on Wednesday, December 26, 2012. New Orleans won the game 97-94.

Orlando forward Josh McRoberts makes a fancy behind-the-head pass during the New Orleans Hornets at Orlando Magic NBA game at the Amway Center on Wednesday, December 26, 2012. New Orleans won the game 97-94. (Stephen M. Dowell)

The Magic missed Davis in two areas against the lowly Hornets: on defense and in their late-game offense. New Orleans, at best an average offensive team, hit 50.0 percent of its shots and received All-Star caliber performances from center Robin Lopez and journeyman point guard Greivis Vasquez.

The Magic's offense sputtered down the stretch, making just one field goal in the game's final 7 minutes, 19 seconds.

Davis, who ranks second on the team in scoring and rebounding, has been missed.

"I think it's evident," coach Jacque Vaughn said. "He's usually in at the end of the games to finish, and usually we have a package of plays at the end of the game that we're pretty comfortable with. You see we've had to go by other means of scoring."

Orlando (12-16) now has lost consecutive games to the Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz and the Hornets (6-22).

Each game was decided in the final minute.

But if the Magic can't beat the lowly Raptors and Hornets without Davis, how will the Magic fare in a brutal stretch from Dec. 31 through Jan. 12? In that period, they will play the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks at Amway Center, then go on the road to face the Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers.

Ouch.

Lucky for the Magic, they first will have games against the Washington Wizards on Friday and the Raptors on Saturday.

Orlando could lose those, too, if it plays the same kind of defense it played against New Orleans, which snapped an 11-game losing streak.

Lopez scored 29 points on 9-of-10 shooting.

Vasquez chipped in with 27 points and eight assists.

"I don't know what it was," Magic point guard Jameer Nelson said. "I don't think we played hard enough defensively overall. It's not on any one guy. It's all of us out there together. We just have to do things harder and be tougher out there."

Power forward Ryan Anderson, whom the Magic decided not to keep during the offseason, finished with 15 points on 4-of-11 shooting.

"It is huge for us," said Anderson, who received some nice applause from the announced sellout crowd of 18,846 when he entered the game midway through the first quarter.

"Not only is it nice to beat the team that traded me, but it is great for this team and the morale."

Nelson kept the Magic in the game, scoring a season-high 28 points and dishing out 10 assists. But he also committed six of Orlando's 14 turnovers.

The Magic had a chance at the end.

Trailing by three with 11.7 seconds remaining, they inbounded the ball and hoped to create space for Redick to take a potential game-tying trey.

But Anderson fought through a sceen set by Orlando's Nik Vucevic, and although Redick had the ball beyond the arc, Anderson, who is 6 feet 10, was in position to contest any shot Redick would've attempted.

Vucevic then set another screen against Anderson, and Redick dribbled left. But New Orleans' Dominic McGuire sprinted toward Redick.

Vucevic rolled toward the right corner, received a pass from Redick and took a wide-open 3 from 25 feet. Vucevic set his feet well, but his shot attempt was a bit too strong and hit off the far edge of the rim.

This time, something strange and wonderful happened. The skies cleared, the rain stopped and the starving blind man gorged himself on a much-needed victory and finally regained his sight ¿ the vision of making the playoffs.